The Young Carthaginian eBook

The camp was situated twenty days’ march from
Carthage at the foot of some hills in which lions
and other beasts of prey were known to abound, and
there was no doubt that they would be found that evening.

The expedition had been despatched under the command
of Hamilcar to chastise a small tribe which had attacked
and plundered some of the Carthaginian caravans on
their way to Ethiopia, then a rich and prosperous
country, wherein were many flourishing colonies, which
had been sent out by Carthage.

The object of the expedition had been but partly successful.
The lightly clad tribesmen had taken refuge far among
the hills, and, although by dint of long and fatiguing
marches several parties had been surprised and slain,
the main body had evaded all the efforts of the Carthaginian
general.

The expedition had arrived at its present camping
place on the previous evening. During the night
the deep roaring of lions had been heard continuously
among the hills, and so bold and numerous were they
that they had come down in such proximity to the camp
that the troops had been obliged to rise and light
great fires to scare them from making an attack upon
the horses.

The general had therefore consented, upon the entreaties
of his nephew Adherbal, and his son, to organize a
hunt upon the following night. As soon as the
sun set the troops, who had already received their
orders, fell into their ranks. The full moon
rose as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon,
and her light was ample for the object they had in
view.

The Numidian horse were to take their station on the
plain; the infantry in two columns, a mile apart,
were to enter the mountains, and having marched some
distance, leaving detachments behind them, they were
to move along the crest of the hills until they met;
then, forming a great semicircle, they were to light
torches, which they had prepared during the day,
and to advance towards the plain shouting and dashing
their arms, so as to drive all the wild animals inclosed
in the arc down into the plain.

The general with the two young officers and his son,
and a party of fifty spearmen, were to be divided
between the two groves in which the camps were pitched,
which were opposite the centre of the space facing
the line inclosed by the beaters. Behind the
groves the Numidian horse were stationed, to give
chase to such animals as might try to make their
escape across the open plain. The general inspected
the two bodies of infantry before they started, and
repeated his instructions to the officers who commanded
them, and enjoined them to march as noiselessly as
possible until the semicircle was completed and the
beat began in earnest.

The troops were to be divided into groups of eight,
in order to be able to repel the attacks of any beasts
which might try to break through the line. When
the two columns had marched away right and left towards
the hills, the attendants of the elephants and baggage
animals were ordered to remove them into the centre
of the groves. The footmen who remained were
divided into two parties of equal strength. The
general with Malchus remained in the grove in which
his tent was fixed with one of these parties, while
Adherbal and Giscon with the others took up their
station in the larger grove.